About These CD Albumsby
Terry Hathaway

$11.99
each

In 1966 I purchased an unrestored Wurlitzer style 32 Concert PianOrchestra that was originally sold (circa 1908-10) by the Hoeffler Music Company, a Wurlitzer distributor in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a beer garden in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The PianOrchestra standing just over 11 feet high boasted a large piano, a set of orchestra bells, bass drum with cymbal, Chinese crash cymbal, snare drum, kettle drum, tambourine, triangle, castanets and 314 speaking pipes representing the musical tones of violin, viola, violoncello, bass viol, gamba, flute, piccolo, oboe, saxophone and French horn. In 1968, shortly after restoration was completed, and all the final regulation and tuning touches had been applied, I recorded much of my extensive collection of Concert PianOrchestra rolls on audio tape. Thus, the five CD's offered below offer a wide selection of tunes typifying Wurlitzer Concert PianOrchestra music from circa 1908 through the mid 1920s.

To create the compact discs, the audio signal from the original analog stereo tapes was digitized and then processed using professional audio restoration software, eliminating any tape hiss and impulse noise (tics and pops) generated due to tape imperfections or deterioration. Finally a slight degree of equalization was applied to compensate for minor tape roll-off in the treble frequencies, enriching the overall tonal qualities of the recording. It is an understatement to say that a great deal of time and effort went into research and experimentation before any actual processing of the original audio material was attempted. This attention to minute detail insured that the newly digitized audio signal captured as much of the original excitement and sonic detail of the beautifully restored Concert PianOrchestra as was humanly possible. Thus, except for occasional minor imperfections due to tape damage or deterioration, the audio quality is exceptionally full bodied and clean.

Wurlitzer Style 32 Concert PianOrchestra

WUR-CP32-V1 (Volume I)36 Tracks -- Total Time: 68:56

WUR-CP32-V2 (Volume II)32 Tracks -- Total Time: 65:43

1.

Indian Girl, Patrol

1.

Oh That Navajo Rag

2.

Floating Down The River

2.

Kiss Your Sailor Boy Goodbye

3.

Where Did You Get That Girl

3.

Strongheart -- from "The Passing Show of 1913," Two-Step

4.

Ragging The Nursery Rhymes, Two-Step

4.

Mrs. Sippi (You�re A Grand Old Girl)

5.

The Good Ship Mary Ann, Two-Step

5.

Unknown

6.

Unknown

6.

America I Love You, Two-Step

7.

Stars and Stripes Forever, March

7.

Unknown

8.

Close To My Heart, One-Step

8.

Unknown

9.

I Sent My Wife To The Thousand Isles

9.

Mammy�s Little Coal Black Rose

10.

The American Red Cross, March

10.

The Battle Line Of Victory, March

11.

Mary, Fox Trot

11.

Solid Men To The Front, March

12.

Tears Of Love, Fox Trot

12.

Take Me To That Land Of Jazz, Fox Trot

13.

How Ya Gonna Keep �em Down On The Farm (After They�ve Seen Paree), One-Step